With boundless potential, Man/Woman/Chainsaw have been the London band to watch for a while now. A live show that is joyous and raucous in equal measure combined with two cracking singles has built them into an act London gig-goers are seeking out on lineups.
Having recently become a formalised six-piece, we have seen them continue to go from strength to strength. So ‘What Lucy Found There’, their first single recorded in this full lineup, feels like a real flag in the ground moment.
Starting off with understated math-rock-esque guitars, the song builds across its 3 minutes to a stunning art-rock crescendo. A virtuoso example of a band taking the listener through the emotions and leaving them unable to do anything but leap about the room. Man/Woman/Chainsaw themselves describe it as “Orchestral Mayhem” which feels apt but misses the intricate creation that goes into creating such a journey for the listener.
You can see why it’s their favourite track to play live, it has the power to turn a room of vaguely interested observers into evangelists of the new buzz band about town.
We caught Man/Woman/Chainsaw live at the Green Door Store’s ‘234 Fest’ last year, here’s our account:
Hot footing it from the football at The Amex Stadium (Brighton 3 Bournemouth 1 by the way), the first band I caught on Sunday was Man/Woman/Chainsaw, who brought their brash, unadulterated noise-pop down from London. The six-piece experimental collective opened their set with ‘Maegan’ a noisy furious blast. The following song, ‘What Lucy Found There’ was an impressive layered wall of sound with a jazz feel. Billy’s almost softly spoken vocals on their debut single ‘Any Given Sunday’ contrasted wonderfully with Vera’s screaming delivery and frenzied music. Vera’s vocals on ‘Rodeo’ were far more conventional, but equally good. The dual vocals between guitarist Billy and bassist Vera worked well together and fitted perfectly with the music.
Man/Woman/Chainsaw showed very skilful musicianship balancing the sounds of all the instruments within their brash feverish sound. You could make out Clio’s violin and some intricate keyboards from Emmie, both of which added depth to the band’s sound. There were technical issues with the violin being heard midway through the set. While broken guitar strings and snare drums are easily rectified from other bands’ kit, it’s not the case with violins at gigs. Thankfully it was resolved before ‘Grow A Tongue In Time’ which started with Vera singing accompanied by just Clio’s violin. This track not only gave more variety to the performance, but showed off another side to Vera’s voice. Their last song ‘Easy’ started with a laid-back jazz feel, becoming louder, more intense and frantic. So much so a mosh pit appeared in front of the stage. Man/Woman/Chainsaw, along with Jar of Blind Flies, were one of my highlights of the bands I discovered at ‘2 3 4 Fest’. Their varied set of complex noise with instruments almost competing against each other worked extremely well. A band worth looking out for at the coming ‘Mutations’ festival.
If you fancy seeing Man/Woman/Chainsaw live then you are in luck as they will be performing at The Hope & Ruin in Brighton on Friday 1st March courtesy of JOY. promoters. Support on the night will come bands on the up Ladylike and Van Zon. Purchase your tickets HERE and HERE.
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